The Christmas Shoes FMA Style
by thorny21
Summary: It was Christmas Eve and time was running out for Sin Mustang's mother. Can he reach her in time with the shoes he had just bought? Based on the song The Christmas Shoes by Newsong.


Sin Mustang walked down the hall beside his father, Noah, who carried his baby sister. It was quiet in the hall, except for the steady murmur of voices around them.  
"Daddy, when is Mama coming home?" he'd asked again as they walked. Sin was only eight years old, his sister but an infant. They were in the critical ward of Central Command where his mother lay.  
Noah sighed and held baby Yuki tight to his chest. Every day they came to this hospital and every time Sin would ask the same question.  
"I don't know, son," he replied. "Soon." Noah had dark black hair like his father Roy Mustang but had bright blue eyes like his mother, Riza. He fell silent once more as they reached the room his beloved wife, Tuliana, lay in.  
Sin sighed, again getting the same answer from his father. He looked much like him, except he had bright crimson eyes like his mother. He followed his father silently as they went into the room. His mother lay unmoving in the big hospital bed, a series of wires and machines hooked to her. He moved to his usual spot beside her, taking her frail hand into his own.  
"Hi, Mama," he said cheerily. "Daddy took Yuki and me to see Santa today." Tuliana opened her eyes and smiled tiredly at her young son. She had been only 19 when she became pregnant with him and had found out shortly after his birth she was ill. She had been told the illness was terminal but could take years to kill her. The doctors had warned her not to have any more children, as the stress on her body could make her illness worse.  
"What did you ask Santa for?" she asked, her voice tired and soft as she smiled at him. Sin bit his lip in the same way she always did before answering.  
"I asked Santa to bring you home," he replied. "He's got magic, Mama." Tuliana smiled at that and closed her crimson eyes slightly. She knew that even with all the magic Santa had possessed, she wouldn't be home for Christmas. It was already Christmas Eve and as she turned her eyes to the window, she could see the snow falling softly.  
Noah sat beside his wife, holding Yuki so she could see their baby girl. Yuki had been born just before Thanksgiving and complications from her birth caused her mother to remain in the hospital. The day Tuliana had come to him and informed him she was pregnant once again, Noah had all but panicked. He remembered the warning from the doctors and his heart almost stopped. Tuliana had just smiled as she told him, her hand over her belly lovingly.  
"Noah…," the soft voice of his wife came, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up, seeing her crimson orbs shining brightly with all the love she had for him.  
"What is it, love?" he asked, his hand stroking her hair tenderly. Tuliana had started to close her eyes again and her breathing became shallow.  
"I'm so…tired," she replied, starting to fall asleep once more. Noah choked back the tears that threatened to come forth. He couldn't cry in front of her and their children. He knew she wouldn't want that. Instead he kissed her forehead tenderly.  
"Then rest, my love," he said warmly. "We'll be here when you wake." Tuliana smiled lightly, already falling into a deep sleep once again.  
Sin watched as his father kissed his mother lovingly. He knew his father was hurting but holding back for his and his sister's sake.  
"Daddy?" he questioned, looking over at the man he looked so much like. Noah looked back at his son, whose crimson orbs held confusion.  
"There's not much time," he simply stated, holding Yuki against him as he choked out the words.  
"No! You're wrong!" Sin yelled. "Mama's coming home!" With that, he ran out of the room and down the hall, disappearing before his father could react.

"Sin!" Noah called out but it was too late. His son had completely disappeared from his sight.

Sin ran straight from the hospital out into the snow. His father was wrong. He had to be! He continued running, not paying attention to where he was going. He slipped and fell on the ice, sliding into some of the muddy snow. Getting up, he took off running once again, his tears threatening to fall. His new coat his mother had bought for him before Yuki was born was now ripped. Getting an idea, Sin ran into the nearest store. He had some money in his pocket and he was going to buy something beautiful for his mother.

It was almost Christmas time and Fuehrer King Bradley stood in another line, trying to buy the last gift or two for his family. He wasn't really in the Christmas mood at the moment. People around him were pushing and shoving, trying to get that last minute buy. Standing right in front of him was a little boy waiting anxiously, pacing around like little boys do and in his hands he held a pair of shoes.  
His clothes looked worn and old, and he was dirty from head to toe. And when it came time for him to pay, Bradley couldn't believe what he heard him say.

"Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my mama, please," he stated. "It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size." King Bradley stood behind him, listening to the little boy speak, unmoving.

"Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time," Sin continued. "You see she's been sick for quite a while and I know these shoes will make her smile." Bradley's breath caught in his throat. The little boy's mother was sick and he was trying to do something to make her feel better.  
"And I want her to look beautiful," the boy said with a sad smile. "If Mama meets Jesus tonight."

He counted pennies for what seemed like years. Bradley watched silently as the boy placed what he had on the counter.  
"Son, there's not enough here," the cashier stated. Sin searched his pockets frantically before turning to look at Bradley.  
"Mama made Christmas good at our house. Though most years she just did without," he explained. "Tell me sir, what am I going to do? Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes."

Without a word, Bradley lay the money down on the counter. He just had to help him out and he'd never forget the look on his face.  
"Mama's gonna look so great!" he said before turning back to the cashier. "Sir I want to buy these shoes for my mama, please. It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size." Bradley couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his lips at the small boy before him.  
"Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time," Sin repeated anxiously. "You see, she's been sick for quite a while and I know these shoes will make her smile." The cashier took the money and hurriedly wrapped the shoes in the prettiest paper he could find before adding a shiny silver bow on top as the boy continued to talk.  
"I want her to look beautiful," he finished. "If Mama meets Jesus tonight." Everyone near the little boy had stopped in their tracks at his words, their hearts going out to the small boy.  
Bradley knew he caught a glimpse of Heaven's love as the boy thanked him and ran out. He knew that God had sent that little boy to remind him what Christmas was all about.  
"_Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please," _the words echoed in his mind. "_It's Christmas Eve and these are just her size."_ Once it was Bradley's turn, he promptly paid for his things and left the little shop, the boy's words still sitting on his heart.

"_Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time." _With every step he took, Bradley could feel tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"_You see, she's been sick for quite a while and I know these shoes will make her smile." _At that, the tears that had threatened to fall, finally fell.

_ "And I want her to look beautiful, if Mama meets Jesus tonight."  
_

Sin clutched his package to his chest as he ran through the streets back to the hospital his mother lay in. He could only think to get her the shoes as quickly as possible. He was certain his father hadn't meant to say she didn't have much time. He just had to be wrong and could only hope the shoes would help. He raced back to the hospital and flew inside, heading straight to the room his mother was in.  
"Daddy!" he huffed as he slid into the room, coming to a stop just before reaching them. Noah looked up, relief clear in his eyes.  
"Sin, where have you been?" he asked, his gaze going to the package the boy held. "What is that?"  
Sin walked closer, setting the package on the bed at his mother's side. He explained to his father about getting the idea to buy her a gift and the stranger who helped him buy them when he didn't have enough. Noah just stared at his son, pride swelling in him and yet, his heart breaking at the same time.  
"Why did you buy them now?" he asked, not understanding why his son would buy shoes for his mother. Sin met his father's eyes and said only one thing:  
"_I want her to look beautiful, if Mama meets Jesus tonight._"

At exactly 12:01 on Christmas Day, Tuliana Mustang took her last breath. She had made it to Christmas, the one thing she had wished for. She wanted to spend one last Christmas with her family. Three days later, they held her funeral with her family and friends gathered around to say goodbye. Just before she was buried, Noah and Sin added one last thing to her coffin:  
The Christmas shoes Sin had bought for her. They both knew Mama would look beautiful when she met Jesus.

**A/N: I know it's short but I wrote it in about half an hour. Read and review, please! Any flames will be used to light the candles on my Christmas tree! **


End file.
